The porch should lead to the garden. 
is on the ground level 
This is easily accomplished when the porch 
When the porch is elevated above the ground level it can be brought into harmony 
by the use of climbing vines 
House Porches and Their Construction in Relation 
to the Garden—vw. . BurrerFieLp 
zone, America leads in the variety 
of her porches. While others go 
on building 42-centimeter guns 
and aeroplanes, we continue to erect 
porches, piazzas, stoops, verandas and 
sun parlors. I suppose that a good av- 
erage for a well designed, com- 
fortable porch is one to every 
ten or twelve thousand, but a 
porch of one kind or another is 
so important to our life that we 
cling affectionately to any bit 
of architectural embellishment 
we have that resembles this be- 
loved accessory. Itis as vital to 
us as the sidewalk café is to the 
Parisian. We are reluctant to 
leave it in the autumn and wel- 
come spring’s first warm day to 
rush out the table and the 
chairs and install ourselves for 
another season. I said “acces- 
sory,” but I think I am wrong in 
using this term for the porch 
now shares with the living room 
the honor of being the centre of 
the home. 
The porch has, or should 
have, a vital function to per- 
form. It should lead us to the 
garden. What a magical word 
—garden! Who does not dream 
of having a garden? All of us 
who have not one; and further- 
more we all wish it to be beau- 
tiful in its own way and fashion. 
For our beautiful garden we 
want a beautiful porch, beautiful 
in its design and construction. 
There are, roughly classified, 
two types of porch, (1) the 
porch which is an integral part 
of the house, and (2) the one 
which is detached in that it is 
built against the house and 
could be removed without 
changing in any way the house 
itself. The porch connects us in 
a pleasant fashion with the gar- 
Q: ALL the lands of the temperate 
den, so let us talk of the ones we are 
going to build to our already erected 
house and which would come under the 
second classification, to wit, detached 
porches. 
It is most unfortunate if our first- 
floor level is so high above the grade as 
The porch properly placed is an ideal vantage point to view the garden. 
Tile is a substantial flooring 
293 
Massa- 
9 chusetts 
to necessitate the porch floor being 
raised very much above the garden level 
or the part of the garden which touches 
the house. A raised porch, no matter 
how well designed, loses its charm when 
one is unable to step directly from it to 
the ground without descending a flight 
of steps; if possible let there be 
not more than two steps down. 
The ideal to be sought is the 
feeling that even when on the 
porch you are living in your 
garden or grounds. 
It goes without saying that the 
design of the porch must be in 
keeping with the design of the 
house. That is to say, its style, 
form of construction, detail 
shape of roof and the like. For 
example, a massive stone porch 
attached to a light frame house 
is laughable. To design a suc- 
cessful porch-takes much care- 
ful study. A poorly designed 
one will ruin both house and 
garden. 
Naturally, the size of a porch 
is governed by many conditions, 
some of which cannot be 
changed. The length of the side 
on which it goes is one, also the 
ground at your disposal; in gen- 
eral, the width of a dining room. 
You will have a table and 
chairs, undoubtedly, and’ while 
the table may not be quite as 
large as the one in the dining 
room, the same principle holds; 
that is, circulation. I should 
say ten feet gives a minimum 
width for a porch, while twelve 
is much, much better. These di- 
mensions are in the clear and 
do not take into account the 
supports or walls. Make the 
length as great as possible at 
the same time consistent with 
good design and proportion. A 
floor space twelve by twenty- 
four feet is excellent, and is 
